Culture

Celebrating #HHA2017 with Stories, Stones and Bones

Lucy Casot, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland,blogs about this year’s edition of the ‘Stories, Stones and Bones’ festival and its links with 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.

In the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, thousands of people have been introduced to heritage as exciting new projects have opened the doors to fun and discovery, thanks to a dedicated National Lottery funding scheme distributed by Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

From the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, and from precious memories and traditions to rare wildlife and landscapes, HLF uses money raised by National Lottery players to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about.

As a key partner to Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, HLF has invested £852,000 in 98 projects across the country through its dedicated Stories Stones and Bones funding programme. From young people in the Highlands learning to build with turf, to Dundonians collecting memories, histories, poems and songs from their city – the campaign has engaged 460 community groups and an estimated 15,000 people across Scotland.

The aim of the scheme was to inspire people to get involved in learning about and enjoying their heritage for the first time. It has focused on reaching new audiences – an objective that I’m delighted to say has paid off – with over half the applications coming from first-time applicants and over two-thirds of the projects involving young people (under 25yrs).

HLF created Stories, Stones and Bones specifically for any not-for-profit group wanting to engage more people with the heritage and take part in the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology. With grants of between £3,000 and £10,000, some of the projects that were realised include:

Indepen-dance ‘members’ stories – members of this inclusive dance organisation in Glasgow explored the history and connections between disability and dance since the end of the First World War, creating a film to document what they found.

Poorboy ‘Game play’ – young people in Dundee explored the city’s rich history of gaming through research and oral history collection. They created an exhibition with interactive gaming elements to share the stories they gathered.

It’s our ambition that people of all ages will have the chance to discover something new about the heritage they care about, and we’re delighted that thousands of people – some for the very first time – are opening the door to fun, learning and everlasting memories, as we celebrate this special year.